Lockdown definitely put too much time in our hands and with it, some trends have finally zoomed (had to be said) into the mainstream and are setting new ways to define ourselves.
The rise of more fluid identities has seen us creeping toward the male beauty id tipping point for a while. Generation Z will of course completely seal it's future fate as their stereotyping of gender is entirely consistent with the direction. Whether they will buy into the connection of beauty stereotyping beyond nail art once they have money to spend remains a question, but meantime the beauty marketing industry is already racing to define it.
The troubling part for men with the beauty invasion of their personal space is of course the same problem we have with the female beauty industry.
THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY IS ESSENTIALLY NEGATIVE MARKETING AS IT FOCUSES AND STIGMATISES WHAT IS SUPPOSEDLY UNATTRACTIVE AND THEN PEDDLES PRODUCTS TO 'FIX' THE UNATTRACTION.
Most products sold and marketed by the beauty industry, whether sold for the betterment of your health, anti-aging or pure attraction; are simply unnecessary. They are a complete construct of an idea of personal cooked up by central marketing. While the entire business of beauty is a myth, it still comes to define us and we all buy into it, at least to some degree. Here is an example how it is evolving for men, reported in an article by Wunderman Thompson:
ATHLETE ALEX RODRIGUEZ LAUNCHED HIS BLUR STICK CONCEALER IN LATE MAY AS PART OF HIS CAMPAIGN FOR MEN’S WELLNESS WITH HIMS. THE ATHLETE IS PROMOTING THE PRODUCT AS AN ORDINARY PART OF HIS MORNING, SPEAKING TO THE GROWING POPULARITY OF MEN’S CARE AND MAKEUP FOR MEN OF ANY AGE, OCCUPATION, OR ORIENTATION.
Yesterday, concealing blemishes was not something most men ever cared about, but now it is apparently an ordinary part of the day - at least if you are on trend and in the know. Stand by for all this to be followed by make-up, eyeliner, lipstick and nail polish.
If you are even a little familiar with some of the questionable ingredients that end up in beauty products and cosmetics, including foreskins, it's going to be interesting to see what ingredients get sold to men. Chicken feet are full of collagen and rooster combs are a good source of hyalauronic acid so they micht cut it. Not so sure about the foreskins and beaver bum castoreum.
In th end, it's more than likely that men's beauty will end up in the same place as women's, whether we like it or not. Cosmetics are already being bundled into the same category as 'self-care', along with the long list of skin management products most men have never heard of. Nevertheless men are set to find themselves suddenly getting to know them and they enter the eternal pusuit of beautiful. If you are in the natural beauty industry, it's definitely time to get on board.
The 'up' side of being way more open about male bodies is that previously no-go zones get talked about. The normalisation of issues with erectile function being a good example. (Yes Boomer, you aren't the only ones, but you are on trend).
Ironically it's our chemical riddled world that is causing many of the sperm count issues in younger men, but at least you can now take another chemical to deal with it - and more importantly talk openly about it.
Images: Unsplash | Mutzii / Isabell Winter. Nails by Nail Pro. Website pic from HIMS